Join the fight to end America's student debt crisis.

“I can build skyscrapers, cure cancer, or direct an Oscar-winning film. I CAN DO all this and more. What's stopping me? The $40,000 I'm borrowing for school.”
Rena – University Park, PA

“Everyone deserves a chance to pursue the career they want. Student loans should not stand in the way.”
Peter – Baton Rouge, LA

“I had to defer my top choice college for a year because, even with scholarships, I couldn't afford it. I shouldn't have to defer my dreams for fear of lifelong debt.”
Awa – Rockville, MD

“Almost all of my friends are worried about student debt. We don't regret going to college, but does it really have to be this expensive?”
Jaime – Denver, CO

“I worry about my student loans constantly: Will I be drowning in debt when I graduate? Will I find a job after graduation? It's hard to focus on doing well in school when I don't know how I will pay for it.”
Tyler – Syracuse, NY

Latest News from the Campaign

In partnership with various organizations working to curtail the student debt crisis, members of the United States Senate have recently put together a campaign to set the student debt crisis talks front and center. Dubbed “#InTheRed,” the campaign is part of a larger effort by Senate Democrats to make student debt a priority in 2016. One of these Senators, Chuck Schumer (D – NY) said, “I am launching this campaign today to encourage students and parents and student loan debt holders to share their stories so we can finally force Congress to comprehensively address the issue of college affordability, which is key to the ongoing success of our economy.”

Starting today, all borrowers with federal Direct student loans have access to a new repayment plan with monthly payments limited to 10% of your discretionary income. You can enroll regardless of when you borrowed. If you’re having trouble affording your monthly payments – or just want the assurance of payments based on your income – check out the Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE) plan and see if it’s right for you.

Today, we released a new analysis, looking at a decade of graduation rates at four-year, public institutions. The report — titled Rising Tide: Do College Grad Rate Gains Benefit All Students? — shows that the majority of institutions have made improvements in these last 10 years, but those improvements don’t always translate into gains for everyone. I spoke with Kimberlee Eberle-Sudré, one of the authors of the report, to learn more.

More than 42 million Americans owe a total of $1.1 trillion in student debt, making it the second-largest liability on the national balance sheet. A generation ago, student debt was a relative rarity, but for today’s students and recent graduates, it’s a central fact of economic life that we don’t know much about. Mapping Student Debt is changing that.

Now that the University of Missouri’s president has resigned and the chancellor has announced that he’ll step down at the end of the year, hopefully students’ concerns will be addressed. Of all Concerned Student 1950’s list of demands, there is one that particularly impressed me because of its urgency in requiring a plan of action:

Form and Formula: How the Federal Government Distributes Aid to Students explains the history of need analysis—the method used to determine the amount of federal aid a student receives—and the method of collecting financial data from students and families.

Like many students, my college decision was based largely on the price I would have to pay — tuition, financial aid, and in-state vs. out-of-state costs all had an influence. However, there was one other factor I should have paid close attention to — one that would have solidified for me and my mother whether my investment was a sound decision — and that is graduation rates for Pell Grant recipients.

Federal consumer regulators on Wednesday won a major court battle against Corinthian Colleges Inc., the former national for-profit chain that entered bankruptcy this year amid claims of defrauding students.

A federal judge in Illinois ruled that Corinthian “engaged in deceptive practices” by misleading students about their career prospects, according to documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal.

A letter to all Members of Congress from more than 50 organizations expressing strong opposition to any appropriations rider that would block or delay implementation of the gainful employment regulation.

We spoke with nearly a dozen of these schools to learn more about how they recruit, support (academically and financially), and otherwise ensure low-income students a fair chance at a postsecondary degree.